Hello!
Ten years ago on this very blog I said the I could imagine that not my next car but the one after might be an EV. Well, that didn't quite work out. I did buy a diesel SEAT Ibiza and got burned by the VW group's "Diesel-gate" problems. I replaced that four years later with a petrol FIAT Tipo which I love (I know it's a controversial opinion) but here we are coming out of the COVID-19 lockdowns, I'm in a different place financially so a few weeks ago I decided to take the plunge and start looking into finally getting an electric car.
Over the course of one weekend, we drove six of the new generation of EVs so we could compare and contrast. Now, you might notice there are a few significant ommissions. For example, there's no Tesla in there. That's because I'm not made of money. Yes, I'm aware Tesla are the standard EVs are measured against but I'm a normal person on a budget looking for a regular car. I'd love to try a Tesla (and an i-Pace and a Mustang Mach-e and....and...) but I have to be sensible, I'm not a motoring journalist or someone just driving everything for the sake of it.
So here are my thoughts on the various cars in the order I drove them:
Citroen e-C4
 |
| Citroen e-C4 |
This was the first car we drove. There's been some nonsense said about the type of car this is in the press - that it's a coupe-style compact SUV and stuff like that. It isn't, it's a small family car along the lines of a Ford Focus or Vauxhall Astra but with some SUV and coupe styling cues. Looks-wise I think it will probably divide people, I like it but I can see why other's might not. Some people might say it is a bit too 'busy' - too many unnecessary curves, folds and twiddly bits. But it's a Citroen, that's what they're supposed to be like, a bit individual, a bit quirky.
Getting into it, it was instantly very comfortable and quite familiar. A nice big touch screen but physical knobs and buttons for a few important things that you need access to easily. Things seem to be well placed and thought out.
Setting off, the first thing you notice is how light the steering is. I can imagine a lot of motoring journalists and people who love to really "drive" their cars hating this but for me it was great.
The acceleration is good but not mind-blowing. Certainly better than any car I've owned but I don't think Tesla drivers would be impressed. It's very easy to accidentally break the speed limit though, especially if you aren't used to it.
Its big selling point is comfort. It's a comfortable size and the suspension is very good. We were both impressed by the infotainment system and other technology. I particularly liked the Head Up Display (Helen less so) although I don't know how much of a gimmick it might be really.
All in all - impressed.
Peugeot e-2008
 |
| Peugeot e-2008 |
This car is based on the same underpinnings as the e-C4, both being from the Stellantis group and you could tell from the similarities in the controls.
Looks-wise this is very much a small SUV, it's not bad looking ut not very interesting.
Inside I'm going to be honest, it's a bit dark and cramped. For the size of the car it's very badly packaged and reveals its 208 base. The main problem being how narrow it is along with all the black plastic used.
The controls are very similar if not identical to those used in it's cousin, the e-C4 although it forgoes the HUD in favour of a 3D display for the dashboard. It looks nice but is really just a gimmick.
Its performance is perhaps a bit better than the e-C4, with better acceleration, but the ride isn't as smooth. All in all we weren't impressed.
Volkswagen ID.3
 |
| VW ID.3 |
It was really nice to drive, with great acceleration, feeling like you'd expect a VW to feel.
I found the controls a little bit odd. The 'gear selector' (for want of a better term) bing up behind the steering wheel felt a bit weird and I'm not a fan of the touch-only buttons instead of having any physical buttons and having some things like the driving modes only accessible through the touch screen isn't great.
There's plenty of room in the back and the seats are comfy. The strange thing about it is that it feels a little bit cheap inside. It doesn't feel like the build quality is up to what you'd expect from VW and some of the materials feel a bit , you know,, cheap and plastic-y.
We liked it but not bowled over.
Vauxhall Mokka-e
 |
| Vauxhall Mokka-e |
Another Stallantis group car based on the same technology as the e-C4 and Peugeot e-2008. I think this is a really good looking car, even in the bright 'Kermit green' colour shown in the picture and the one we drove.
We liked the inside as well. It's a little bit narrower than we liked but generally it was very sensible and comfortable. This car was very much a runner until we got in the back seat. No leg room at all. It was a real shame because I liked it a lot but it was just unusable in the back.
Kia eNiro
 |
| Kia eNiro |
Really good car. Incredible acceleration, well built, and with good long-range. Unfortunately, it is let down by two things - it's too expensive and there's no foot room in the back.
Just to explain that last point, in the back seat there is legroom but there's no room for your feet underneath the front seats. This makes it incredibly uncomfortable to sit there.
Hyundai Kona EV
 |
| Hyundai Kona EV |
Basically exactly the same as the above. It felt slightly less well put together and with cheaper materials but it was still a really good car to drive and a good size but it had the same two problems. Too expensive and no room for your feet in the back.
There was another car in the running - the MG5 SW EV. Unfortunately the garage sold their only one before we got there, so they didn't have one for us to test drive. We decided this wasn't a good sign so told them we wouldn't bother.
We did make a decision and it's coming in just over a weeks time...
No comments:
Post a Comment